A propane gas explosion rocked a rural Salem home early Sunday afternoon. Salem Fire Marshall Bill Fulton says Paul Bumgarner and his son were both inside the home at 2649 Miles Lane north of Nation Road when the explosion occurred. The two escaped injury, but the home received substantial damage. Fulton says the explosion blew out the framing of a sliding glass door, cracked a wall in the dining room, caused a living room window to bow out, pushed a dining room light fixture into the attic and damaged the washer and dryer.
Bumgarner's son put out a small fire near the hot water heater with a fire extinguisher before the fire department's arrival. Fulton says it appears a small piece of gas piping connected to the hot water heater was somehow knocked loose, allowing the propane gas to escape into the air. He notes the elder Bumgarner, who had just returned home, was asking his son about an unusual smell in the home at the time the explosion occurred. Fulton says the LP gas service was turned off along with the electrical box until the gas piping system in the home can be checked for any other problems.
The call came in at 1:30 Sunday afternoon. Full Story
